Cradles to Crayons is a major player in the Philadelphia region who is always on top of the of the list for helping others in the area. Nearly one in four Philadelphians, including 130,000 children, live in poverty and C2C is making it their mission to provide the essentials for those children and families.
I’m headed to the mall today but not to shop but with a bag full of clothes that Shaun has outgrown.
The Easter Bunny will be at Center Court at Springfield Mall, beginning Friday, March 8, not only to help launch his namesake holiday at the major Delaware County shopping hub, but also to kick off a joint clothes collection drive with Cradles to Crayons for the region’s disadvantaged children.
The collection effort – to continue through March 30 – is a collaboration between the more than 70 merchants at the M
all and Cradles to Crayons, the local nonprofit that provides children, from birth to age 12, living in low-income and homeless situations with the essential items they need to thrive – at home, at school and at play.
The Easter Bunny is scheduled to hop into Center Court at the Mall, 1250 Baltimore Pike, at 10:00 a.m. on March 8.
hoppers who drop off donations of new or nearly new clothing (from footwear to winter coats, and new socks and underwear) at the Mall’s Customer Service center (located near Ruby Tuesday’s) will receive a discount off photos with the Easter Bunny. Shoppers will also be able to select from baskets of “Easter eggs,” individualized egg-shaped cards that identify an item of clothing needed by an area low-income and/or homeless child, and purchase items on the eggs from stores within the mall. The purchases will be gathered by courtesy desk staff and provided to Cradles to Crayons, from which local social service agencies, including homeless and domestic violence shelters, schools, and foster homes, will distribute them to the children in their care.
“Springfield Mall is proud to host this important donation drive benefiting children within our communities,” said Maureen Weir, the Mall’s senior marketing director. “We are pleased to join forces with Cradles to Crayons and Delaware County Moms, and look forward to working with our shoppers in supporting such a worthy cause.”
“Cradles to Crayons cannot thank enough the Springfield Mall and its scores of merchants who are making it possible – and convenient – for shoppers to help the one in five children in this region who live in poverty,” said Michal Smith, executive director of the Cradles to Crayons. “Families living in poverty struggle to pay for rent, utilities and food, so warm clothing, coats, and shoes that fit are often completely out of reach.”
